Process of making sugar.



UNlTE (EFFFQ ANDREW IL. MATHEWS, or remand, euro.

PBGCESS O]? MAKING SUGAR.

,and a resident of Toledo, in the county of Lucas and State of Ohio, have invented certain-new and useful Improvements in Processes of Making Sugar, of which the tollowing is a specification.

This invention. relates to processes 0 making sugar; and it comprises a proces of producing high grade sugar in large yield'directly from cane juice, and other sugar juices relatively rich in reducmg sugar. or "glucose, wherein such uices are treated with lime in excessover the amount suflicientto neutralize, such treatment hemg at a temperature too low to permit any substantial attack on the glucose by such lime, and the excess oi? lime is then removed, as by gasing' with carbon dioxid, this treatment with lime and removal of lime being performed oneor more times; all as more fully hereinafter set forth and as claimed.

The object. of this invention is to provide a simple and effective treatment for can. juice, and like juices, for the direct pro duction of a white granulated sugar not requiring further refining, With the simultaneous production of a high-grade molasses.

Cane juice is an impure liquid containing in addition to cane sugar, comparatively large amounts of reducing su ars, or glu cose, and of non-saccharine matter. In the manufacture of sugar these non-saccharine matters are removed as perfectly may be and the purified or defecated juice is then evaporated to yield crystallized sugar and molasses. Upon the completeness of the juice purification depend the quality and quantity of cystallized sugar obtained and the quality of the molasses. By the usual methods of operation the sugar so obtained is not suitable in quality for direct consumption, being, even when exhaustively \vashed, not better than oil- White in ginsle, so that it is practically always sent to a. refinery to he redissolved and recrystallized. Neither is its quantity as large as it should b e, the non-saccharine impurities in the molasses having a molassigenic effect; that is having the power of keeping a certain;proportion oi cane sugar from crystallizin n' Ordinarily deiiacation or purification is e ig n atyan a thejaice in Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 26. 1914.

Application filed. June 14, 1913. Serial No. 7?3,733.

the presence of just'enough lime to nearly neutralizc'while not making the liquid alkaline; that is, the addition of lime is in such small quantity'as to leave none existing; as free lime. if anything, the juice must he left slightly acid. Occasionallv, instead of boiling; the liquid, it. is heated to a higher temperature under pressure for a hriei time. From the hot nearly neutral liquid there separates a precipitate of coagulated albuminoids, insoluble lime salts, etc, together with any fiber or dirt which ma v be presbnt. After separating this precipitate, the luright liquid is sent to the GHLHOTHI'TOIIE. It well recognized that heating necessary in defecatioh; and that in the ting if not enough lime is added the purification is not vcrygzood while the acids of the juice will act oil the sugar to convert it into glucose, causing loss. On the other hand, if too much lime is used, t acts on the glucose of the hot juice to form dark caramel-like bodies of melassi genie properties. rendering it impossible to obtain anything from the juice on boiling down but soit grained brown sugars. This blackening of the juice by an excess of lime is one of the bughears of the ordinary operation; and responsible for the usual practice of clarifying on the acid side with its attendant loss of sugar and iuconr plcte purification.

l have found however, that an excess oil lime is not only not dangerous with cane juice and similar liquids containing glucose. but may he used with advanlzng e provided certain. limits of time and temperature he ohservcu'l: that 't' the ex 'iosurc he not too long, say, not over an hour, glucose is not attached to any SUlJSlfiiliiill extent by lime al temperatures below 50 C. Cane juice I find may be safely, and advantageously, ovorliuieil or made alkaline with lime, at these low Lemperatiu'es. The time of exposure lo the action oi alkali should always be short, but is in some degree inversely as the temperature; below 40 C. it niav be somewhat prolonged. This fact allows me to secure an ellicient lime purification of cane juice, and similar liquids containing, relatively, large amounts of glucose. In the presence oi? a. relatively large amount of lime much more impurity is separable from given juice. than v i.h smaller amounts; and low temperatures this ellieient removal. is not couiitervailed by the dioxid, se arating the precipitate, again adding car 11 dioxid-to the clear liquid till neutrality is obtained and heating to a higher temperature to remove impurities precipitated by heat.

4, The processbf purifying sugar juices containing relatively large amounts of glucose which comprises making such liquid alkaline with lime while maintaining 'such liquid at a temperature not above 50 (3., removing nearly all the alkalinity with carbon dioxid, se arating the precipitate, again adding car on dioxid to the clear liquid till neutrality is obtained, heating to a higher temperature to remove impurities precipitated by heat, removing such impurities and feebly acidulating.

5. The process of purifying sugar juices containing relatively large amounts of glucose which comprises making such liquid alkaline With'lime While maintaining such liquid a temperature not above 50 6., re moving nearly all the alkalinity with carbon dioxid, separating the precipitate, again adding carbon dioxidto the clear liquid till neutrality is obtained, heating to a higher temperature to remove impurities precipitated by heat, removing such impurities and feebly acidulating with sulfur dioxid.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

ANDREW L. MATHEWS.

Witnesses: s

MARBLE,

PAUL H. FRANKE. 

